


Thunder

by written_in_starlight



Series: The Astral Chronicles [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, One Shot, aiden's terrified out of rationality, and jared's confused and supportive lol, ashe is a dick now and always, in which jazen is a dick in the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/written_in_starlight/pseuds/written_in_starlight
Summary: Aiden knows three things.1. He hates Jazen2. He misses James3. He is absolutelyterrifiedof thunderAnd that last one is probably what lead to the first two.
Series: The Astral Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468171





	Thunder

Aiden couldn’t sleep. He hated Jazen. He wished James were here, because James wouldn’t laugh. James would hold him close and not comment if Aiden ended up crying into his shoulder (and looking back now, Aiden realized just how _dense_ he was for not realizing James _liked_ him sooner).

But James was worlds away, and Aiden was stuck here alone, the sound of rain pattering on his tent and thunder rolling in the closing distance, and Aiden could hardly breathe through the panic in his chest.

 _Think!_ Aiden curled in on himself, tugging at his hair, but panic was one hell of a gateway drug to _not thinking rationally_.

The crystal star in his palm winked in the low lighting, and Aiden suddenly remembered he had _magic_ at his disposal. It might not work, but even something like a shield or something to block out the _noise_ —

Aiden rolled to his feet, panic spurring him onward despite his thoughts still being half-formed.

Outside his tent was wet and miserable, and Aiden gritted his teeth in terror as lightning flashed, the boom of thunder not far behind. There were lights on in Ashe’s tent. Hopefully the older mage was still awake and would know of some way of helping Aiden—

“Hey.”

Aiden couldn’t hold back his yelp as he whirled around, flames sputtering up in his palm. They hissed in the rain, draining his magic faster than usual, but they shed a flickering beam over the clearing, to a dark figure huddled by the remains of their campfire.

“Just me.” Jared’s green eyes peeked out from under his hood. “What are you doing? It’s a miserable night out if you’re not on watch. No, it’s especially miserable if you’re on watch,” he added grumpily, pulling his cloak tighter around him.

“I, um, just—” Aiden stammered on his words for a few moments, flames sizzling out as panic clawed up his throat. “ _Fuck_.” He pulled at his hair. “I—is Ashe still awake?”

Jared didn’t answer for a long moment, looking at Aiden. Aiden didn’t meet his gaze, shifting uneasily.

“Should be,” Jared finally answered. “I could help though, if you’d like. Ashe gets kinda cranky late at night.”

Aiden didn’t want to look weak. At least if he asked Ashe, he could pass it off as wanting to learn more. That’s what his frenzied thoughts were telling him, at least. “No, it’s okay, I’m, um, gonna go…” Aiden hesitantly started for Ashe’s tent.

“Well I’m not stopping you.”

Aiden nodded and scampered for Ashe’s tent, lightning and thunder flashing on his heels.

Ashe looked up as Aiden ducked in, irritation written in his face. “You’re supposed to be asleep,” he said.

“I, uh.” _Words Aiden_. “I was wondering—I couldn’t sleep and so I was thinking, um, do you know anything about shields or something like that? Just, um, something for me to do because I’m like, not sleepy at all.”

“Shield spells are far beyond your ability right now,” Ashe said dismissively.

“I—but—”

“Bed, Aiden.”

“But—”

“ _Bed_.”

Aiden’s throat was closing up, so he nodded and made his escape from the warmly lit tent.

As Aiden was staring at the ground, trying to wade through his muddled thoughts on _what should he do???_ Jared spoke again. “Come here?”

Aiden shakily made his way over to the log where Jared sat.

“Shield spells?”

Aiden nodded wordlessly.

Jared tugged him to sit down next to him. “Ashe likes to overstate the complexity of things,” he said in a low voice, “and underestimate our abilities. And I may still be learning, but I think I know enough to show you a couple tricks. Between us, okay?” Jared’s green eyes sparkled with mischief.

Aiden hissed between his teeth as thunder rolled across the sky. Some of the mirth left Jared’s face, and he stared at Aiden with a gaze that said he knew at least part of what Aiden wasn’t telling him.

“You can see magic, right?” was all he said though.

Aiden nodded again.

“That’ll make it easier if you can visualize it,” Jared said. “The way it was explained to me was, it’s like weaving the magic into a barrier. Watch for a moment?”

Aiden nodded, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, the world was covered in a haze of magic.

Jared pressed his hands together and pulled them apart. Stretched between them was a barrier of green magic, and as Jared’s hands moved, Aiden could briefly see tendrils of magic weaving together and seamlessly blurring together.

“It’s easier to do like this, at least starting out.” With a wave of his hand, the barrier dissolved, tendrils of green magic floating into the sky.

Aiden frowned. “Martin said something about needing spells to use magic?”

“Ah, yeah.” Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “Did Martin tell you about focus points?”

Aiden nodded.

“Yeah, they’re more like that,” Jared admitted. “And my uncle was never really a fan, so all the stuff he taught me was without spells.”

“Oh.” Aiden’s voice was drowned by a sudden crack of thunder, and he bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood.

Jared opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then just as quickly second guessed himself and stayed silent. “So yeah,” he finally said. “If you think that’ll help you, I’m afraid I won’t be much help.”

But Aiden had to try, had to figure out _something_ that would mean his hands would stop shaking and he could finally _sleep_ , so he murmured a quick reassurance that it would be fine and gritted his teeth.

“Just don’t be surprised if it’s difficult at first,” Jared warned.

His warning was well founded; the ribbons of magic liked to slip through Aiden’s fingers, lighting themselves on fire more often than not, and every time lightning flashed whatever progress Aiden had made would be lost as he jumped.

Aiden hissed as his latest attempt went up in smoke. He refused to tell if the water on his cheeks was all rain or something else. He was tired, he was scared, and frustration and terror were clashing and making it hard to breathe.

“Okay.”

Aiden whimpered as Jared startled him.

“Look, I understand you have some ulterior motive for trying to learn this now,” Jared said, “but I can’t let you keep going. Something’s got you distracted, and too much longer and something really bad is going to happen if you keep trying.”

Aiden stared down at his still-shaking hands, at the tendrils of red and gold magic that fluttered anxiously around them.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Jared asked. Thunder rumbled overhead.

“I hate Jazen.” The words fell out before Aiden could stop them. He saw Jared start, and Aiden would bet if he could see Jared’s face, he would have an expression of _what the fuck where did that come from?_ but Aiden didn’t pause to let him voice any thoughts. “He—when I was little, like really little, he thought it would be _funny_ to try and scare us during a thunderstorm, and everybody else thought it was cool and not scary but I was _terrified_ and he _kept doing it_ until Mom finally noticed and made him stop but by then it was too fucking late.”

“Oh. So you’re afraid of the thunder?”

Aiden nodded, but refused to look up at Jared.

“And Jazen…”

“My brother.”

“Oh.” Jared reached out and took Aiden’s hand. “That’s terrible.”

“He thought it was funny,” Aiden repeated. “And I was the only one who was _scared_.”

“And he should have noticed and quit it. Or your parents should have stepped in sooner.”

Aiden squeezed his eyes shut, shaking uncontrollably.

“What can I do to help?” Jared moved closer and wrapped an arm around Aiden, wrapping him in his cloak.

Aiden shook his head. He didn’t _know_ anymore.

Footsteps squelched through the mud, and Jared stood, though the tail end of his cloak stayed over Aiden’s head, offering a small amount of protection.

“I got it,” Jared said quietly to the newcomer. “Don’t worry. I set up sentries when he came out in case I got too distracted.”

“Okay.” Aiden could recognize Finn’s voice even through the cloak and his panic. “You sure everything’s under control?”

“Yes.” Jared turned, and the tail of his cloak fell from Aiden’s shoulders. Jared carefully pulled Aiden to his feet.

“Have fun getting warm and dry,” Finn said, quickly taking Jared’s abandoned place on the log.

“Have fun out here,” Jared retorted with a grin before taking off, Aiden in tow.

“What—where—”

“You’re coming with me,” Jared said simply, holding open the flap to his and Will’s tent.

Aiden hesitated, then entered as Jared shooed him in.

“I’ll be right back,” Jared promised before disappearing, the tent falling closed behind him.

Aiden settled to the ground to wait, curling into a ball as the lightning flashed. True to his word, Jared was not gone for long, and threw back his hood once he was safely inside the tent.

“That’s better,” he sighed, setting down his bundle, which Aiden quickly realized was his blankets.

Aiden shot Jared a confused look.

“I’m not gonna leave you to be terrified and alone and sleepless all night,” Jared said, unfastening his cloak and tossing it in a corner.

Aiden winced, thinking about how it would still be damp come morning, until he realized that he had magically dried off once he had entered the tent.

“Other perk of coming off watch,” Jared winked. “Getting dry again.”

Will rolled over. _Jare?_

“Back to sleep Will,” Jared said, toeing off his boots.

Will blinked sleepily, his silver eyes focusing on Aiden. He mumbled something unintelligible and questioning.

“Back to sleep,” Jared repeated, now grabbing the previously discarded blankets and adding them haphazardly to the nest Will was currently occupying.

“You don’t have to.” Aiden hated how his voice stuttered in the middle of his phrase as thunder rumbled.

“The sooner you realize you’re fighting a losing battle and give in,” Jared said, raising an eyebrow.

Aiden didn’t move.

“Hey.” Jared crouched in front of Aiden. “Look, we all have your back, you know this, right? Me and Will and the rest of them. So let us help you how we can, okay? Even if it just means you’re not alone all night during a thunderstorm.”

Aiden sighed, conceding defeat as he stood. The nest did look warm and inviting, so Aiden crawled in without further half-hearted protests. He intended on staying on the edge so he wouldn’t bother either twin, but Jared kept nudging him over until he was firmly settled between the two boys.

“If there’s anything else I can do to help, let me know,” Jared murmured, dousing the dim lights in the tent. “Or Will, if you’re willing to wake him up.”

Will mumbled something that almost sounded coherent, except that Aiden didn’t understand a word.

Jared chuckled and responded in their native language. “Goodnight Aiden,” he said.

“Night.” Aiden hesitated. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Jared already sounded half-asleep, and Aiden marveled at how fast he could fall asleep, despite being wide awake just moments ago.

Aiden felt some of his terror receding, watching Jared and Will sleeping peacefully, and as thunder crashed overhead, he had to admit one rational response to this whole stupid ordeal.

If anything tried to mess with him, it would have to get through a pissed off, vaguely pacifistic telepath and an equally annoyed, definitely not a pacifist mage first.

And Aiden finally drifted off to sleep, vaguely comforted by that thought.


End file.
